This relates generally to bit alterable memories.
A bit alterable memory is a random access memory which is programmable one bit at a time. For example, some memories are programmable a block at a time, while the other memories may be programmed one bit at a time.
Examples of bit alterable memories include ovonic memories which use a chalcogenide phase change material, polymer memories, and battery backed random access memory.
In a conventional file system used for a random access memory, the data stored in the memory may be divided into blocks. The blocks themselves are then split into a header section and a data section. The header section is used by the file system to indicate system information for the corresponding file fragments in the data section. The boundary of the header section is a reserved, empty header.
In the course of formatting or initializing a block for subsequent use or reuse, the file system erases the entire block. This block erasing takes a lot of time.